Wehrmacht Czechoslovak and Slovak Army
Link to the e-shop https://attack-kits.eu/tatra-57-army-cabrio-1-72.html
Small open military car Tatra 57 for four people – that was the full name of the most numerous pre-war passenger car of the Czechoslovak Army in the orders. After the end of the First World War, the Czechoslovak Army ordered passenger cars in individual pieces. These were standard passenger cars, which were produced mainly for civilian use, which were supplemented with the necessary military accessories. At that time, the Tatra company developed and significantly improved its concept of a tubular beam, which formed the basis of their modern trucks, as well as passenger cars, and which has been used practically to this day. In the field of passenger cars, its efforts culminated in the Tatra 57, popularly nicknamed “Hadimrška” (nickname is coming from famous comedy film – means very fast and agile snake). It did not escape the attention of the army. In the second half of the thirties, when it became clear that the republic was in danger, the army finally ordered big series of standardized passenger vehicles, and the choice fell on the Tatra 57 for its reliability. The cars were delivered in various versions – from three-seater sporty-looking convertibles for a maximum of three people to closed sedans.
The most numerous Tatra variant was the open convertible for four people. Its design directly followed the shortened version modified for driver training (our model 72965 Tatra 57 Army Cabrio Short Czechoslovak and Slovak Army) but it had an extended rear and, what is not visible from the outside, a somewhat more powerful engine coming from newer versions of the civilian Tatra 57. More than 150 of these vehicles were produced. In addition, it is not unclear whether there were even more thanks to the last order with an uncertain fate, whether it was completed or not. Town Koprivnice – place of Tatra factory) was occupied by Germany as part of the Sudetenland and documentation is missing.
In practice, these were slightly modified vehicles based on the design of the civilian Tatra 57A, although the army never marked them as such and only remained with the Tatra 57 designation. This is most noticeable on the front engine cover. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia and the establishment of the Slovak State, the vehicles found themselves in the service of the Wehrmacht and the Slovak Army and participated with them in World War II. Their operation in the second half of the war on the Eastern Front is even documented, which testifies to the toughness of the design and the quality of the workmanship.
The 1/72 scale model was created using 3D design. It is a high-quality kit containing two gray frames – the smaller universal, the second larger one specific for the convertible, plus a small frame made of transparent material containing glass and headlights. The kit is supplemented with two sets of cast detailed wheels – one version without relief and the other version with relief through holes in the disc. In addition, etchings with alternative parts are included. Three camouflages depict vehicles of the pre-war Czechoslovak Army, the Wehrmacht from the Eastern Front in the second half of the war, and the Slovak Army also deployed in the East.
The kit can also be purchased with new masks for spraying both the windows and the wheels.
